The Wikicollecting Top 10 Most Expensive Albert Einstein Memorabilia Wikicollecting.org takes a look at the most valuable and important items of Einstein memorabilia everv sold, from an xray of his head to the letter that gave birth to the Atomic Bomb....
of approximately $404,820 at a Bloomsbury Auctions sale in London in May 2008.
4) General Theory of Relativity lecture notes
On June 20, 1933 Einstein gave the first ever George A. Gibson Lecture at Glasgow University, during which he spoke of the process and struggles which led to him formulating his General Theory of Relativity. He also spoke at length about his ‘annus mirabilis’ of 1905 during which five of his most important papers were published, and his moment of breakthrough with the General Theory.
At a Christie’s auction in June 2010 Einstein’s own hand-written notes from the lecture were sold for a price of $578,500.
3) First scientific essay manuscript
In 1895, at the age of just 16, Einstein produced his first scientific essay impressively titled “On the investigation of the state of ether in a magnetic field”. The essay, which he sent to his Uncle, contains seeds of the ideas which would later influence his Theory of Relativity and demonstrates his passion for physics at a young age.
The unique manuscript was sold at a Christie’s auction in December 2006 for a price of $676,992, making it one his most valuable manuscripts.
2) Letter to FDR concerning the Atomic Bomb
In 1939 Einstein wrote one of the most important letters in 20th century history to President Franklin D. Roosevelt. In it he urged FDR to fund research into building an atomic bomb, as he feared the German Nazi government were conducting similar experiments. His influence led directly to the birth of the Manhattan Project and the first A-Bomb, changing the course of history forever.
This unsent copy of the letter (a few lines shorter than the copy sent to FDR) was originally purchased in 1986 by the publishing magnate Malcolm Forbes for $220,000. After his death it was resold at a Christie’s auction in March 2002, where it reached a price of $2,096,000.
1) Rewritten Theory of Relativity manuscript
The most valuable Einstein manuscript would be, without a doubt, his original hand-written Theory of Relativity. However, by his own admission he threw this in a waste basket soon after it was printed and it remains lost to history.
However, in 1943 he was persuaded to re-write it and offer the manuscript to the war effort by the American Government. It was given in return for the purchase of $6.5 million worth of War Bonds by the Kansas City Life Insurance Company, who then donated it to the U.S Library of Congress where it remains to this day.
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